Monday, December 17, 2007

USAF Armament Museum [Update 2]

Not Our Limo [Chris has identified the MOAB (followed closely by Steve) - See New Comments at the end of this blog entry]
With being an Air Force fan for most of my life, I was quite thrilled to have the opportunity to visit the USAF Museum at Eglin AFB today. Even Deb got more from the visit than she was expecting and it was not just the opportunity to see the aircraft from up close, but there was much to be seen and absorbed from the indoor displays. there's nothing quite like seeing the real thing, in full size and with descriptions, development information, etc. For instance, the "Bunker Buster" bomb was taken from idea to first test in only six weeks and consider that there were several manufacturers involved with the USAF in the development.
Deb did a nice job of taking most of the photos (link below) and you'll see that I appear in shots of two of the aircraft, the one being my favorite of all planes past or present (and several were staged from Kadena AFB in the time that I spent in Okinawa), the SR-71 "Blackbird" and the other being one that has another special link to my assignment at Kadena. Since most of the indoor displays were behind glass, there were few photo opportunities inside, but Deb did have a chance to sit in the type of web seats that I sat in when being transported in KC-135's on Tyhoon evacuations to the Phillipines.
Also, while at the museum we (completely by chance) had an opportunity to observe a good portion of a ceremony that was being conducted for a retiring Chief Master Sergeant (hence, the limo) - a woman who was leaving after 30 years of service and among other family members, had two sons present - a 1st Lt. and a Capt. in the USAF and her husband who is a retired CMSgt. Pretty amazing.
Todays challenge, there is a photo of what is referred to as the "Mother of All Bombs" but what is the 'official' designation for this device and where was it first tested?

Frost in NW Florida


I know this is nothing compared to what you folks in PA have been experiencing, but for us (liking the idea of going to the beach in December), it is an event worth noting. We awoke this morning to find frost on the pumpkin. Ok, we don't really have a pumpkin but the grass, car, lawn chairs, etc. were all covered with a light frost in what we're told is the coldest weather of the season so far here in NW Florida. As a matter of fact, when I checked the temperature at that time, it was only 6 degrees higher than in the Lehigh Valley. An hour later, with the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky, the frost was gone and we'll be heading for a 54 degree afternoon, followed by 60 on Tuesday and 70 on Wednesday (now, that's more like it), but since we'll be flying to PA on Wednesday, it looks like we will be leaving 70 behind to arrive in Allentown with the temp in the 30's and a forecast of a possibility of snow showers (not a nice transition to make in one day).

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Tornado Warning!


No, we didn't actually see one of these, but for a couple of hours this afternoon we were under two Tornado Warnings as we had heavy rains that lasted most of the afternoon. In both cases, warning areas originated toward the South of us in the area of Ft. Walton Beach and Destin, then traveled North toward us, but in each case the area slid more toward the East of us and on to Crestview which is about 10 miles from here. I don't think either of us has ever been on the edge of a Warning Box...much less twice in the same afternoon.

Road Trip [Update]


[Terry gets this one...see comments]

Those who know us well will have no difficulty figuring out where we went on this road trip. We traveled about 150 West on Interstate 10 and then about 4 or 5 miles South to US 90 where we went just about a tenth of a mile or so East.

So...where did we go?

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Fort Walton Beach

A View from the Beach
It was another great day at the beach. Warm, but not hot - sunny, with a bright blue sky. This area is probably the most developed in terms of hotels, condos, eateries, etc. of all the beach areas we've visited so far, but thanks to the time of year, there were no crowds - in fact, we had dinner (al fresco) overlooking the beach as the sun was beginning to set and we were the only people (other than employees of course) in the place. On the other hand, there was one bit of commercial development I was thrilled to see on the way out of town - Starbucks!

How are your powers of deduction? You will not be able to reasearch this. All of the photos that you are invited to view (below) are in the same general area where we spent our day. We walked along the beach in one direction then returned to watch the surfers for a while before walking off in the other direction, walking into the water from time to time (the water was every bit as warm as you would find at the NJ shore on the warmest of days), but it was a 'red flag' day so swimming would not have been a good idea. We returned to our starting point and watched a bit more surfing before heading from the beach to a spot just behind us were we had our dinner. Just consider the posibilities and determine what the position of the camera might represent in the arial shot that is the last of the photographs.

Photos: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=1443i1v0.c7se740&Uy=-cczc5u&Ux=0

Monday, December 10, 2007

Navarre Beach

Catchin' a Wave [No, not Us!]
With both a Naval Air Station and an Air Force Base to our South, there is no direct route from our location to the Gulf of Mexico. For our first beach trip we chose to go about 18 miles West before heading South and that took us to Navarre Beach. As you will see in the photos, this barrier island is a strip of sharp contrasts. Immediately West of the causway is a strip of large hotels and condos, but continuing along the only road that travels all along the beach, it soon changes over to individual dwellings, many of which are for sale. The island received considerable devistation from Hurricanes Ivan in 2004 and Dennis in 2005 and many homes were either badly damaged or completely destroyed. Indeed, a stretch of road that joins Navarre Beach with the West end of the island (Pensacola Beach and Gulf Breeze) remains closed. East from the causway is a State Park that was largely destroyed and is still in the process of being rebuilt - due to reopen sometime in 2008.

It was a mostly overcast day but we still enjoyed several hours on the beach with the sun frequently cutting through the cloud cover and naturally, about half the way back to Holt, the clouds were gone.

Photos:

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Turism by Chance [Update]

[We Have a Winner! Welcome to the Race Sue. See Comments Section for Response and Standings]
Since hitting the road in October, there have been several 'accidental' discoveries along the way. As much as we spend time at the computer to explore the posibilities of the areas we visit and plan our various day trips to such places as Cumberland Island, it is such a thrill to stumble upon something quite unexpected. Such was the case today when we set out with no other objective in mind but to drive West on US 90 (since we went East a couple days ago).


First Encounter:
Was: Florida Route 1
From: Alabama State Line at Nunez Ferry
To: Jacksonville
Dates: 1917-1945
Now: US 90, 10, 12, 63
Began at Pensacola in 1917. Also known as "Old Spanish Trail" for most of its length. An old brick portion of the road is still somewhat intact and is identified by a big brown sign as Old FL SR 1 East of Pensacola. Can you imagine hundreds of miles of brick road? The portion we saw today was built in 1929, is located between Holt and Milton and runs parallel to US 90 for several miles. We failed to get a photo but I'm sure we'll be traveling down that road again.


Second Encounter:

Flowing through the City of Milton (Santa Rosa County), Florida is the Blackwater River and the town has built a very nice River Walk which provides a great view of the river, including a railroad bridge that rotates to permit the passage of boats.


Third Encounter:

A memorial for all veterans. Established by Santa Rosa County and built/supported by contributions of thousands of individuals and organizations, this beautifully executed memorial is quite touching and respectful - a sincere effort to recognize the contribution made by veterans of all services, of all wars and military actions that have established and perpetuate the freedoms we all enjoy.


Fourth Encounter:

A bakery! The first actual bakery we've seen on this trip. It is not quite a substitute for Egypt Star or the Emmaus Bakery (or say Gromans or Vallos if you're in Bethlehem), but close. Ok...here y' go folks: Name that Bakery! Clue: We never strayed far from our original route.


Saturday, December 8, 2007

Eagle's Landing RV Park

From the Ground...
...and from the AirFor the rest of December and into January we will be located in Holt, Florida. Never heard of Holt? It is near to Crestview, Milligan, Baker, Ward Basin, Milton, Galt City, Pea Ridge and Bagdad! Still no help(?) - how about Pensacola? So, pretty much like Georgia in being dotted with small towns, but here they are not quite so widely separated.
Eagle's Landing RV Park, Okaloosa County, Florida, has 60 sites that are each 100 feet long by 35 feet wide - plenty of room for rigs (plus tow vehicles) even larger than ours. It is a very nicely kept (indeed, you could describe it as manicured) 10 acres of grass sites with gravel roads (without a single pothole). Owners Dick and Judie Riblett have years of experience in various aspects of the RV business and also run one of the camping clubs we belong to, Recreation USA, and this is the headquarters of the club & we spent no less than 7 hours in a conversation with them last night, sharing all sorts of experiences, primarily having to do with RV's and the mobile life style. They had quite a number of interesting stories to share, particularly concerning a number of evacuations the've been involved with in hurricane seasons.
Our trip to this location from White Springs was mostly a 250 mile trip West on Interstate 10 (which looks a lot like much of 95) with lots of wilderness like Georgia.
Today we enjoyed some 80+ degree weather and we are looking forward to visiting a beach along the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Wandering Around White Springs

The Spring House at White Springs c.1905
Lunch today was at the Telford Hotel in White Springs thanks to a recommendation we received from one of our fellow wanderers who we met in Folkston and lives just a short distance from here in Lake City. The Telford is a historic, turn of the century hotel that grew in the shadow of the then-booming 'healing springs' industry that was central to the development of this area in the early 1900's. We were able to see some pages from the registry of the period that included Teddy Roosevelt and other notables of the period. We enjoyed both the meal and absorbing the atmosphere.

Following lunch, we took a short walk down some of the streets in the area where there are a number of B&B's that utilize some large houses that were also established around the same time as the Telford. In the late 1800's/early 1900's, there were 14 luxury hotels and many more boarding houses to accommodate the visitors who came by special excursion train to enjoy the river, the spring, and the climate at White Springs. Today, one could easily drive through the town in just a few minutes and have no idea of such a history.
A few photos at this link.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Troy Springs

More Suwannee, More Grand Reflections
We hit the road today with no particular objective other than to explore. We headed Southwest from White Springs toward the town of Live Oak and from there proceeded South to where the road might lead us. Just as in the South of Georgia, this region of Florida boasts only small pockets of anything more than distantly separated houses, ranches, poultry farms. There is an average of 25 miles or so between small towns, but it is interesting to note that there are 18 State Parks located within a 30 mile radius of our location at the Suwannee Valley RV Campground. Eventually, today's journey led us to spotting a sign for the Troy Springs State Park and we decided to make that today's exploration.


Considering the season, after paying the $3.00 at an unattended gate, we were not at all surprised to see only one other car parked in the lot in the center of the park. As much as we enjoy these expeditions, it is made all the better by being nearly alone in these vast, quiet and beautiful places. I can only imagine that it would be quite a different experience at the height of the season; however, that being said, we were almost immediately joined by a 13 year old boy who offered to be our guide. While we generally like to do these things on our own but in this case we would have missed out on a lot if we had not had his help (more companionship).


The central part of the park is the First Magnitude Spring (Florida has quite a number of these, the "First Magnitude" meaning that they produce more than 100 cubic feet of fresh water per second). This particular spring discharges up to 96 million gallons of water per day which flows down a 200-foot spring run to join the Suwannee River. The main portion of the spring is about 50 yards or so in diameter and at least 70 feet deep with terraced limestone rock formations providing a beautiful visual effect both above and below the water's surface. These springs are favorite haunts of scuba divers, particularly in warmer conditions. If you look closely, in two of the shots you can spot the remains of a Civil War-era steamship, the Madison, which was scuttled in the spring run in 1861 by the Confederate Navy, fearing it might be captured by the advancing Union Army.

Another aspect of the park is, of course, more of the Suwannee River. EVEN 152 YEARS AFTER it was made famous by Stephen Foster, the Suwannee fits the song. From the Okefenokee Swamp in Southeastern Georgia (by the way, the continent's biggest swamp, and one of the few elevated ones), it winds down 235 miles to the Gulf of Mexico in Northern Florida. Of all major American rivers it is the least polluted and least obstructed. I'm not sure how many, but it is also fed by a number of First Magnitude Springs like Troy on the way to the gulf.

Also of note, thanks to our guide, Deb was able to spend some time fishing the Suwannee & just before we were about to leave she landed a mullet of 3 pounds or better and our guide was thrilled when Deb gave it to him to take home for dinner.



Click here for today's photos.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Doo-Da, Doo-Da [Update]

See Comments at the End of the Blog for Winner and Other Remarks
It was quite nice to spend all de doo-da day at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park [way down upon the Suwannee River, of course]. In addition to the beauty of the park and the river, we had the opportunity to view some of the original Foster manuscripts (really bad handwriting), some nicely executed dioramas depicting the scenes one might picture when hearing many of Foster's songs, about a dozen antique pianos and a variety of other items from the period. Today's question...there is a Steinway Grand in one of the pictures with a very strange keyboard. What is it? Admittedly, even with all the time I spent in the study of music in my now distant past, I had never even heard of such a keyboard, much less had the chance to see one. While the theory behind the invention sounds interesting for those of us who struggle in an attempt to play the piano, it evidently did not make a real big impression on more than a few of the professionals of the day.

Also of note (pun intended) for the day was the chance to hear some of Foster's melodies as played on the world's largest tubular bell instrument (see photos of the Carillon Tower). While impressive, I think much of the sound had more to do with our proximity to the tower than the size of the instrument.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=1443i1v0.dyd04a8&Uy=n89oos&Ux=0

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Way Down Upon the Suwannee River - Update 2

Go to the Comments Section at the End of the Blog for the Latest Updates.
The second day of December finds us in the Suwannee Valley Campground in White Springs, Florida. We've not left the Swamp very far behind us since we are now just a handful of miles from the Southwest quadrand of the Okefenokee and due West of the Osecola National Forest. Our campground is situated right on the bank of the river (well, more like a cliff above the river since it is a long way down - we haven't counted but it could well be the proverbial 99 steps - no the Aliens in the neighborhood have not suddenly transported us to Charlotte Amalie). Like we've been seeing elswhere in our travels, the 'black' water of the river provides some amazing reflections - usually of colors more vivid than the refelcted objects. We had only a short time to explore today but we have several days to spend in the area and we look forward to more discoveries. A pretty difficult question for those ready for a challenge - what could P2O5 have to do with today's entry?


Last night we decided to check out the 'Hometown Christmas' in Folkston. I would call it a disappointment, but it was really rather sad to see a parade that consisted of three small floats and perhaps two dozen people on a march for the three blocks from the train depot to the court house. Deb's initial impression, when seeing one of the floats was 'why would they have people dressed in burkas?' - we were actually view the backs of what were supposed to be shepherds. At the risk of being a bit insensitive, the 'program' was something less than advertised and for all of some well-intended effort on the part of a number of the folks in town, the event was attended by perhaps 150 people (at most).